Meet YA Author Annika James

Today we welcome former middle school teacher and coach Annika James and her book Wanted, a YA paranormal story.

First, a bit about Annika:

Annika James lives in small-town Wisconsin with her husband and two beautiful kiddos. She spends her days working to pay the bills and her nights dreaming of more fun ways to do so. Her passions include writing, reading, music, and traveling with her family. She dreams of a world where vampires and powerful witches really exist because life would be so much more interesting.

Why did you pick to write books for YA?

I taught middle school and coached high schoolers for over 10 years. I felt like I was immersed in teenage culture. I love reading YA books. When I started writing Wanted, high school just felt natural.

What types of books do you like to read?

I love paranormal - anything. I read a lot of YA, but I also read adult paranormal. Every now and then, I love a good Elizabethan history, but mostly the last few years, everything has been either paranormal or YA.

When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

I try to read as much as I can. Play with my kids, watch baseball or whatever sport is on. Travel if we can, go to rock concerts and baseball games, and hang out with my best friend.

Tell us about Wanted, and how the story came to be.

Wanted is the story of Ashlinn, a witch, who has all vamp friends. Her crush Conor discovers she’s pretty powerful. The Vampire Council decides she must be claimed as someone’s familiar. Conor volunteers, but Ash isn’t sure she can trust him. Her best friend Matt also volunteers, but she’s not sure she returns the more-than-friend feelings he’s having. She’s deathly afraid of being bitten and really doesn’t want to be owned by anyone. She has one week to decide her future.

One day I sat down to write and decided to write about a witch and some vampires. :) It sat unfinished for a long time until I finally got motivated to get it done.

Here's a peak at Wanted:

Attacked as a young witch and left for dead, Ashlinn is deathly afraid of being bitten again. Having survived until she’s almost eighteen without donating blood to any of her vamp friends, Ashlinn figures she’ll continue to live bite-free. After her crush reveals how powerful she is, however, the Vampire Council declares she be claimed as a familiar, which requires biting. Ashlinn doesn’t want to be owned, even by hot vamp Conor. Luckily, her best friend Matt volunteers for the job. She is given one week to choose her protector, and the list of willing biters keeps growing. Will she go with best friend Matt, hot vamp Conor, or someone else to protect her? Will she be able to get her power under control by then? Will she overcome her phobia of being bitten? And who says she needs to be protected, anyhow?



 Have you written other books? If so, tell us a bit about them.

I have a lot started, nothing finished and published.

What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

I am working on a sequel to Wanted. I’m told I left everyone hanging. :) Hopefully, when I finish that one, it will get published also.

What advice do you have for other authors?

Write. write, write, write. And never, ever give up on a dream. If you want it badly enough - you can make it happen.

Anything else you want readers to know?

If you loved Wanted, or didn’t, I’d love to hear from you! Leave me a review, visit my blog, or Facebook, and let me know what you thought.

Where readers find Annika and her book:


Annika's Annex

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

Amazon

AmazonUK

MuseItUp Publishing